The present invention is related to weatherproof terminal covers generally, and more specifically, to one-piece, molded terminal covers.
In many situations field-mounted equipment is installed so as to be exposed to the elements. In certain of these situations, such as where the possibility of damaging the equipment is high or if the equipment is sealed so as to prevent unauthorized intrusion, it is desirable to have standard external terminals so that the equipment need not be opened for field wiring operations. Standard external terminals also eliminate the need for special tools and facilitate ease of field wiring. These external terminals require protection.
The external terminals and associated wiring connections require protection from the weather to eliminate corrosion and electrical shorting due to water. Providing a weatherproof enclosure also prevents inadvertent contact with the terminals as well as concealment of the terminals, which will discourage tampering.
It is also desirable to provide a gasket or seal to protect the interface between the weatherproof enclosure and the field-mounted component. This seal is necessary to prevent water from entering the field-mounted component.